


The Result of Ned Having Forgotten to Knock

by liveonthesun



Category: Pushing Daisies
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-01-19
Updated: 2008-01-19
Packaged: 2017-10-23 15:52:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/252129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liveonthesun/pseuds/liveonthesun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>He’s still not used to this whole someone else living in his house thing.  He forgets to pick up his socks and put the lid down on the toilet and knock before entering a room—right now being the perfect example of the latter.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	The Result of Ned Having Forgotten to Knock

Ned realizes a few seconds too late that it would have been a good idea to knock. He’s still not used to this whole someone else living in his house thing. He forgets to pick up his socks and put the lid down on the toilet and knock before entering a room—right now being the perfect example of the latter.

As a result of him having forgotten to knock, Chuck is now standing naked before him, frozen in place, hair dripping from having just stepped out of the shower.

Ned’s first thought is, _Could she be any more perfect?_ , and that thought stays in his head.

Ned’s second thought is, _I’m so sorry, I should have knocked, shouldn’t I? I’m leaving now. Let’s forget about this, please_ , and that’s the one that makes it out of his mouth.

He clears his throat and turns to leave.

“No,” Chuck says suddenly.

Ned turns back to face her. Her arms are now crossed over her chest and her head is lowered with her mouth making a very shy grin.

“Really, it’s not that big of a deal. I mean, if we’re an ‘us’ now, then it’s okay, right?”

“There are many different levels of ‘us’ and I didn’t realize you meant this level of ‘us’ but if you want it to be this level, then I guess I’m okay with this ‘us.’”

Chuck raises her head to meet his eyes, and her smile is no longer shy. Her smile is her normal Chuck smile, though there’s something else to it Ned can’t place.

She walks over to him and puts her arms around him. About 8,293,048 things go through Ned’s head at once, the most prominent thoughts being how wonderful she feels against him and that more than anything the world, he would love to wrap his arms around her right now. He clasps his hands behind his back just to make sure they don’t brush against her and…oh! There, in his back pocket, he feels the extra pair of the unpowdered latex gloves he uses to handle fruit he has already touched that he stuck back there earlier that day. He pulls them out and puts them on as fast as he can and then wraps his arms around Chuck and holds her closer to him.

In all his dreams of what it would feel like when something like this finally happened, none of them came close to what it’s actually feeling like right now. She’s so warm, and Ned knows this is mostly because she has just stepped out of the shower, but it doesn’t change the fact that she is. She’s warm and soft and now he’s running his hands up and down her back, massaging her skin and enjoying the rise and fall of her chest against his.

Ned isn’t sure at what point he let go and let instinct kick in, but suddenly he realizes that he’s holding her and her legs are wrapped around him and he spins her around to hold her against the wall.

Their faces are inches apart. Her cheeks are flushed and her eyes are bright and she’s more beautiful than anyone has the right to be and, oh, how he wants to kiss her right now! He knows he can’t and suffices to run his thumb over her lips. Her lips part at the touch and she tilts her head back. She is running her fingers along the edges of his shirt collar and when he removes his fingers from her mouth, she leans her head down to kiss his cloth-covered shoulder.

He loves her. He loves her so much and he’s not sure how he would be able to continue his life without her. He loves her for being everything he isn’t. She’s bold and outgoing and adventurous and he’s shy and reserved and awkward. When she talks, she changes the world for him. When he talks, he rambles. He knows why he loves her, but he’s never sure why she loves him. He’s worried that one day she’ll realize she can have someone just as wonderful as she is, so he spends every moment metaphorically holding on to her the way he is literally holding on to her right now.  



End file.
